An information processing apparatus to which external input/output equipment is connected for providing various services in combination with this equipment is known in the art. These types of information processing apparatus include a digital multifunction apparatus having a specific operation screen for manipulation by the user. Some of these types of apparatus can be connected to a digital camera or the like, acquire an image from the connected device and print the image upon subjecting it to image processing in accordance with various setting items displayed on the operation screen.
Further, there are digital copiers, which are one example of an information processing apparatus, to which a video camera, which is one example of external input/output equipment, is connected so that a picture taken by the video camera can be loaded into the apparatus. A known digital copier among these copiers actually displays a control panel similar to that of the video camera on the copier and allows the video camera to be operated in accordance with the content of control to thereby display the picture (e.g., see the specification of Japanese Patent No. 3545912).
Digital cameras connectable to an information processing apparatus of the above-described kind are of wide variety ranging from those of compact type having limiting functionality to those of single-lens reflex type having many functions. Consequently, in a digital multifunction apparatus that is an information processing apparatus, there are instances where the particulars required for a printing service to print the same image differ. For example, there are many cases where the user of a compact-type digital camera wishes to print the image by leaving the detailed print settings up to the machine, and there are many cases where the user of a single-lens reflex digital camera wishes to print the image upon performing detailed settings such as a tonality adjustment.
With a conventional information processing apparatus, however, all users are provided across the board with an operation screen having the same setting items without particularly taking into consideration the type of digital camera connected. For example, to a compact-type digital camera user who wishes to perform operations as simply as possible, many kinds of settings in which the user is not interested are displayed on the display screen of the information processing apparatus, complicated operations are required and the user is forced to perform operations that are very troublesome. On the other hand, if an operation screen that makes possible only simple setting operations is presented to all users uniformly, a problem still remains in that a user who wishes to print a picture taken by a single-lens reflex digital camera will feel that operability is lacking.